From the left, Kenton area friends Austin Buroker, Haley Crisp and Tony Munafo drop off Christmas gifts for the McCarthy family, including Michael, 11, pictured at the right, and his twin brother, Christian, holding his baby sister, River. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
A West Mansfield area family suffered the heart-breaking loss of their home and nearly all of their possessions Dec. 3, but through the outpouring of financial and practical support from both kind friends and generous strangers, they had a memorable Christmas and are now searching for a new home that they will call their own in the New Year.
Robert and Sebrina McCarthy and their three children, twin boys Christian and Michael, age 11, and daughter River, age 5 months, were not at home at the home of the 11 a.m. fire at their 1172 County Road 12 rental farmhouse, as the family members were at school, work or child care, as previously reported in the Examiner.
The cause of the fire still remains under investigation, but considering how fast the fire spread to fully engulf the structure, Mrs. McCarthy is relieved that her family wasn’t there at the time of the blaze.
“I am so thankful to God for looking out for us that day and keeping my babies safe,” she said. “My boys had their bedroom upstairs, and I hate to think of what might have happened if the fire had occurred at night while we were asleep.”
Now they have been staying with her family while they look for their “forever home” in the country and hopefully in the Benjamin Logan School District, Mrs. McCarthy said. Money raised from a GoFundMe account in the form of $22,000, along with special account set up at a West Mansfield bank, and other donations are helping the family to get back on their feet and also looking forward to the potential purchase of a new home.
“It has been amazing all of the support that has been given to our family, and we can’t even put into words how grateful we are,” Mrs. McCarthy said this week. “Thank you just isn’t enough. It’s like the community has thought of everything we could ever need and we are so touched by their helpfulness.
“It was like this domino effect that spread by word of mouth and people who we’d come in contact with wanted to offer prayers and support. We had an Amish family who dropped off a beautifully hand-made quilt, a gift that we will always remember.”
When the McCarthys picked up their sixth-grade boys from Benjamin Logan Schools on the day of the fire, they said the generosity had already begun, with the school providing them with clothing for the boys to take with them.
In the days after the blaze, a clothing drive organized by friends with drop-off sites at Fat Boys Pizza and Easton Water Solutions helped to meet their clothing needs. In addition, they also were able to donate clothing back to Benjamin Logan Schools to help other families in crisis situations and to provide extra infant clothing to Mrs. McCarthy’s friend who is expecting a baby and recently lost her job.
Thoughtful donations continued to pour in from each of the three Benjamin Logan school buildings prior to Christmas, and from friends at the Honda East Liberty Plant Weld Department, whom Mrs. McCarthy got to know through her work at Midwest Express.
Representatives from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office stopped in to see the family as well and present gift cards. Those LCSO personnel were greeted with happy baby River, who was “all smiles,” her mother recalled.
While their Christmas was not one like they expected this year, community members dropped off a special meal with all of the fixings and the children’s wish lists were “well taken care of,” the family said. A thoughtful group of friends from the Kenton area, who were previously unknown to the McCarthys, pooled their money, totaling about $500, to buy specific gifts for each of the children. The gifts were delivered to the family just before Christmas and the new friends stayed to chat for about 1 1/2 hours.
“One of the friends was a Marine who had just flown in from California and wore his dress blues,” Mrs .McCarthy said. “My boys have a real interest in the military and serving one day, and so it was special for them to meet with him.”
Being on the receiving end of so much generosity has the McCarthy family anxious to give back to their community as well. Mrs. McCarthy said when the family is settled in their new home, they can’t wait to put together their elaborate outdoor Christmas displays as they did at their C.R. 12 residence to offer happiness to other area families.
“We’d have people tell us that they load up their kids to come and see our lights and decorations each year. We want to continue that tradition at our new place, hopefully next year, and spread joy to our community.”